Bates Performance Horses

𝙀𝙋𝙈

EPM stands for Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis, a neurologic disease caused by protozoal parasites, most commonly Sarcocystis neurona.

So how does a horse get exposed?

Opossums.

Opossums are the definitive host for Sarcocystis neurona and can shed the parasite in their f***s, contaminating feed, water, hay, and the environment. Horses become exposed by ingesting the parasite.

Your horse can be exposed without you ever knowing it.

Exposure to Sarcocystis neurona is common. Most exposed horses do NOT develop clinical EPM. But in some horses, disease can develop later, and stressors such as hauling, competing, illness, or major changes in their environment may play a role in when clinical signs become apparent.

That means a horse can look completely normal, until suddenly, something just isn’t right.

Maybe they’re not performing like they used to.

Maybe their coat condition changes, dull, rough, or just not looking like their normal coat.

Maybe they’re having trouble maintaining weight.

Maybe their balance seems a little off.

Maybe they’re suddenly spooking at things they never used to.

Maybe there are subtle coordination or neurologic changes that are easy to blame on training, soreness, attitude, or “just having an off day.”

Sometimes the first sign isn’t dramatic. It can simply be that your horse doesn’t look, feel, or perform like themselves.

Now, none of these things automatically mean EPM. There are plenty of other conditions that can cause similar signs.

But EPM needs to be on the list.

I think a lot of horse owners in California have it in their heads as a “Texas problem” or something they only need to think about if their horse came from somewhere else.

Nope.

Opossums are here too, they don’t know state lines.

I personally choose to run a preventative EPM treatment through my horses at least once a year. That’s my personal decision for my horses, I’m not saying every horse needs to follow the same protocol.

What I am saying is:

Get ahead of it. Learn about EPM. Know what the subtle signs can look like. And pay attention when your horse starts acting differently.

Because your horse doesn’t have to come from Texas to be exposed.

𝙀𝙋𝙈 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡. 𝙄𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙖, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨.

𝙇𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚?

Over the past couple of months, I’ve had the opportunity to help 6 clients find and pair with their new horses! 🤍

If you’re looking for your next horse and want help finding the right fit for you, your goals, and your experience level, I’d love to help!

I currently have room to take on 2 more clients for horse shopping.

Message me for more information and to get started!

A HUGE thank you to all of my clients, new and returning, for trusting me with your horses and your goals. 🤍

The amount of booking requests I’ve received this past week for September and October has honestly blown me away! With our first high school rodeo just two weeks away, I know the next couple of weeks are going to fill up quickly.

While high school rodeo is a big part of my clientele, I also have several clients who solely compete in barrel races. I love the variety of people I get to work with and the different goals everyone brings to the arena!

I’m doing my best to have availability every day of the week, with both morning and evening lessons. This year, I’ll be limiting evenings to two lessons back-to-back rather than the four I was doing last year.

If you’ve been thinking about booking, don’t wait until the week of the rodeo to reach out! September and October are already filling in.

Most importantly, THANK YOU for trusting me. Watching my clients learn, grow, and finally 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 something click is one of my favorite parts of what I do. Seeing someone feel something and know they did it correctly is the BEST feeling.

I’m so excited to watch everyone continue to grow!

https://equi-planner-c8ae2101.base44.app/Lessons

𝘼 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙤 𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙨:

Your social media is part of your resume.

I am not saying you need to be boring online.

People are making a living off social media. There are people in the horse industry who have built entire businesses and careers by being funny, controversial, unfiltered, and completely themselves.

But you need to understand the difference between building a career around your content and using social media while trying to build a professional career.

If you’re looking for sponsors, scholarships, college opportunities, jobs, or brand partnerships someday, people are going to Google you.

They’re not just going to look at your fastest run.

They’re going to look at your Facebook.
Your TikTok.
Your Instagram.
The things you’ve been tagged in.
The things you’ve said.
The things you’ve shared.

They’re looking at who they’re putting their name behind.

You can absolutely be funny.
You can have a personality.
You can make money online.
You can build a following.

You have to understand that attention comes with a cost sometimes.

A viral video might get you 5 million views.

It might also get you in front of the exact person you’ve been hoping would sponsor you someday.

You don’t get to choose what they remember about you.

So before you post something, ask yourself:

𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘺 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘰 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴?
𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘛𝘰 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴?
𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘈 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘰 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴?
𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘉𝘦 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘌𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘕𝘰𝘸?

If the answer is yes, post it.

If the answer is no, maybe the views aren’t worth it.

There isn’t one “right” way to use social media.

Just know what you’re trying to build.

Someday, someone may be deciding whether they want to put their name on you.

𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙.

𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚…

If your horse is throwing its head, elevating, shaking its head, or doing anything unusual with its head that seems to be getting worse, start by checking the simple things.

One thing I always check is the curb strap.

I see a lot of horses with extra chain hanging underneath the jaw. When you’re trotting or loping, that chain is swinging around, hitting the horse in the jaw, and creating unnecessary noise and movement.

Secure the extra chain, cut it off, or wrap it so it isn’t swinging around.

If that doesn’t help, try switching to a leather curb strap.

Still having the issue? Take the snaps off your reins and connect your reins directly to the bit. No metal on metal means less unnecessary clinking, movement, and vibration.

If you’ve eliminated those things and your horse is still throwing its head, look further. Have their teeth checked, and consider having your veterinarian evaluate the TMJs, poll, and neck to rule out pain or discomfort.

Sometimes the solution is as simple as changing something in your equipment. Other times, the head tossing is telling you that something hurts.

A good trainer shouldn’t want a student dependent on them forever.

The goal is to build riders who can eventually think, feel and make decisions for themselves.

That means learning how to warm up their own horse instead of always having someone else get one ready for them. Learning what their horse feels like on a good day so they can recognize when something feels off. Learning when one needs more work, when one needs less, and when the smartest thing they can do is leave it alone.

It means being able to walk into the arena without someone telling them every single move to make.

Of course there are times a trainer needs to step in. Sometimes I need to get on one. Sometimes a student needs more direction. Sometimes we need to go back to the basics and work through something together.

But the end goal should always be progress toward independence.

I want my students to understand WHY we’re doing something, not just memorize instructions.

Because eventually I want them to be able to make a run, come out of the arena and tell me what they felt before I tell them what I saw. I want them to recognize their own mistakes, recognize when their horse needs help, and start figuring out what adjustment needs to happen next.

That’s how you build horsemen—not just riders who can follow directions.

And honestly, I think one of the biggest compliments a trainer can get is watching a student handle a situation correctly when you never had to say a word.

At what point do you think a trainer should start stepping back and making a student figure more things out for themselves?